Confirmation of Hydrogen Embrittlement Mechanism for Stress Corrosion Cracking of Gas Main Lines

Abstract

The nature and mechanism of stress corrosion cracking have been studied and modeled in laboratory conditions. It was established that the destruction process develops in three stages: the formation of corrosion defects on the pipe surface, birth and subcritical growth of stress-corrosion cracks, and break. Release bands observed in focal fracture at subcritical crack growth stage indicate that fluctuating stresses are involved in the destruction development. Transcrystalline nature of the fracture at subcritical growth stage implies that SCC in pipelines develops in consonance with the hydrogen embrittlement mechanism.